vacationing families. Concession barkers
provide the soundtrack, while towering
amusement rides soar against the same
enticing backdrop of sea and sun that
brought visitors here in the first place.
And the entrepreneurial juices that once
coursed through the island’s veins still
pump in earnest through the hearts of
those who love this garish seaside sanctuary and want to make sure that others
know what makes it so special.

BROWSING DOZENS OF PHOTOS at theWildwood Historical Society on PacificAvenue, it’s easy to see why the area iscalled the Wildwoods. “It almost lookslike a jungle,” says former Historical Soci-ety president and longtime island residentAnna Vinci as she thumbs through thegrainy black-and-white snapshots. “Prettyhard to imagine what was to come.”Centuries before it was considered theVegas of the East, Five Mile Island was a wil-derness of oak, cedar, pine and maple trees,navigable by just two primitive trails blazedby the Algonquin tribes who hunted andfished here in the 16th and 17th centuries.

This untamed landscape greeted the is-land’s earliest white settlers, fishermen andhunters who built shacks on the north endstarting around 1870. They named the placeAnglesea. By 1884, the West Jersey Rail-road had run a line from Cape May CourtHouse to Anglesea. A roadway bridge forautomobiles followed in 1902.

As with most Jersey Shore towns,
the completion of the Garden State Parkway in 1955 provided unprecedented access for tens of thousands of seasonal
visitors. Quickly, the island went from
humble hideaway to swinging hot spot
where working-class vacationers—
primarily from Philadelphia and South Jersey—could enjoy sand, surf and something
other Shore towns lacked: the latest trends

In &
Around
Town

Looking to do more
than doo wop?

Here are some
popular attractions
in and around the
Wildwoods.

Cape MayBrewery

1288 Hornet Rd, Rio Grande 609-

849-9933 | capemay
brewery.com

L This craft brewery,
opened in 2011, boasts one
of the largest taprooms in
the state. The taproom and
brewery are open noon- 8 PM
daily. Free guided tours take
place on weekdays and Sundays at 2 and 5 PM; Saturdays
at 1, 3, 5, and 7 PM.